


Let me help you

by Dibsanddabs



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Massage, One Shot, Pre-Captain America: The First Avenger, Protective!Bucky, Short, Skinny!Steve, caring bucky, little!steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-04-10 11:52:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4390841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dibsanddabs/pseuds/Dibsanddabs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve lived in pain. There was nothing he could do to make it go away, it was just the way his body was built, but Bucky wants more than anything to help him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let me help you

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there  
> This piece is a little more personal, which is a weird thing to say on a fanfic about two boys from Brooklyn. I have chronic pain and what's described for Steve here is pretty much my life. I wanted to write something to make Steve's life a little easier, so that's how this came about.  
> Kudos is adored, comments are summoned through demons circles.  
> Thanks for reading

Steve was always fighting. Bullies, the world, his own body. He was always battling against something and, although he wouldn’t admit it, it was exhausting. He walked through the pain in his joints and back, got up after every punch ready for another, and he’d managed to keep the facade up for so long. He’d pretended it didn’t affect him, he could walk anything off, even if Bucky did insist on patching him up afterwards. But now he lived with Bucky and he couldn’t say that any more. He’d lie on his bed at night, almost sobbing as his muscles gave up and all the trials of the day made themselves apparent. At first Bucky hadn’t known what to do, knowing Steve wouldn’t want pity or mothering, but he couldn’t do nothing. 

One day Steve was sprawled out on his bed, eyes closed as he tried to keep his breathing even as he let in the pain he’d blocked out all day. Bucky walked in, not knocking on the door, and came to sit on the bed. 

“I’m not in the mood Buck,” Steve mumbled, feeling the bed dip with the weight of the other man. He didn’t open his eyes, expecting a talk about how he had to take more care of himself. He would do everything everyone else did whether his body agreed to it or not, Bucky knew not to tell him otherwise. 

“I’m not here to tell you off,” Bucky said softly. "I just wanna try something." Steve felt him take his foot, pulling it into his lap. He frowned a little, but didn’t pull back, wanting to see what on earth Bucky was doing. When Bucky first pressed his thumbs in Steve almost groaned out loud. Bucky smiled where Steve couldn’t see, guessing it felt good. It was a little ticklish, but Bucky kept his hands firm as he slowly circled his thumbs into Steve’s heel. He rubbed over his foot, up his ankle, reaching half way along his calf, slowly relieving the tension that Steve had built up. Steve felt like he could feel the joints agreeing to stop hurting, if only Bucky would keep doing that, rubbing just right into his instep to pull away the pain. Steve whimpered softly in protest as Bucky set his foot down, not wanting it to stop, but dropped back quiet when Bucky moved over to his other foot instead. By the time Bucky was done with this one, Steve was melting into the bed, making soft happy sounds. Bucky patted his ankle gently before placing his foot back on the bed. He moved up and placed a kiss on Steve’s forehead. Steve was too blissed out to question it, only replying with a smile. 

“I’m gonna take your shirt off doll, that alright?” Bucky whispered, as if talking loudly would ruin the spell he’d cast over Steve. 

Steve raised his eyebrows a little, not sure what Bucky was up to, but nodded. If it was going to be anything like what had just happened, he’d trust anything Bucky told him to do. He sat up a little, letting Bucky undo the buttons of his shirt and slip it off his narrow shoulders, almost protesting that he could do it himself before worrying that Bucky might stop if he did. He moved as directed to lie on his front, Bucky sat to his side. He pressed his face into the pillow and waited, breathing a deeper and more evenly now.

Bucky started at his hips, rubbing firmly again, undoing the knots in the muscles he could feel under the skin. He heard Steve humming happily, leaning forward to kiss his shoulder as he began to slowly work his way up Steve’s back. When he reached the notch in his spine that made him walk lopsided, Steve all out moaned. Bucky felt proud, drawing that sound out of Steve, knowing he’d made him drop all his graces and just let go. He worked up his small waist, up further to where his shoulder blades jutted out visibly. Steve felt boneless under him, jaw slack as he didn’t even notice the sounds he was making. The hands moved up to his neck, pressing out the ache, then up over his scalp. 

Bucky slowed down, drawing out this last part, rubbing his temples and around to his forehead, until he eventually stopped. Steve went quiet, just pulling in soft deep breaths, half asleep but half not wanting to miss any of this. Bucky leaned to place another kiss on the side of his head. Steve just about managed to lift his head up a little, eyes lidded and glassy as he looked at Bucky. He didn’t say anything, just reaching up to cup the back of Bucky’s neck and pull him into a proper kiss. It was slow and sloppy, nothing like when Steve accidentally saw Bucky kissing girls, but that was okay. His mind was too fuzzy for this to mean anything more right now, the lack of pain making his body thrum with endorphins, so he could deal with that later. If Bucky was surprised by the kiss he didn’t show it, not pulling away in disgust the way both of knew he should have. He'd been kissing Steve's skin, one on the shoulder and one on the temple, this was the obvious next step. This was his Stevie, and he’d take care of him and love him. Of course he loved him. There was no one else who mattered as much as the blond in front of him. He shuffled to lie down next to the smaller man, resting an arm on him gently. Steve didn’t roll over to face him, too relaxed, staying lying on his stomach. 

The kiss didn’t last long, Steve hummed softly to himself as he dropped back down to rest his head on Bucky’s chest. Bucky stroked his hair, not saying a word as he felt Steve go completely limp and fall asleep. He’d found a way to help Steve, a way that Steve seemed to like, and that swelled in his chest. It wouldn’t solve the problem, but it relaxed him and that had to be enough for now. Bucky raised a hand to gently touch his own lips. Steve might regret that kiss when he woke up, but for now Bucky could keep the memory of a happy, soft Steve wanting to kiss him for whatever reason he did it. With that, he closed his own eyes, arm still wrapped protectively around Steve, letting himself dream of a golden haired boy who loved him back.


End file.
